Even though it seems unlikely, anything is possible.
According to a report by ESPN’s Brian Windhorst, Jrue Holiday could be traded to the Golden State Warriors. Jrue Holiday was recently acquired by the Portland Trail Blazers in a three-team megadeal that also included the transfers of Damian Lillard, Jusuf Nurki, and Deandre Ayton from the Milwaukee Bucks, Phoenix Suns, and Trail Blazers.
Regarding the Warriors’ potential trade for Holiday, Windhorst had the following to say:
“Even the Golden State Warriors, who have interesting young players on their roster, plus a few far-out draft picks and swaps when Stephen Curry might be retired, could join the race. Provided they’d be willing to re-trade Chris Paul, who members of the organization have praised for his offseason work of trying to fit in. Curry’s never had a backcourt teammate such as Paul, but he’s also never had a teammate with Holiday’s skill set, and he’s five years younger.”
Nothing definite or conclusive suggests that this will happen. To get Holiday, the Warriors might need to include a few first-round picks and pick swaps, as Windhorst suggested above, as well as possibly one of Jonathan Kuminga or Moses Moody.
Holiday would be a fantastic fit if they were to succeed in getting him. With three NBA All-Defensive First Team honors (2018, 2021, 2023) and two All-Defensive Second Team choices (2019, 2022) he is undoubtedly the best perimeter defender in the NBA. He was also an All-Star the previous year, helped by better offensive performance in the regular season, which included 19.3 points, 5.1 rebounds, and 7.4 assists on a split of 48/38/86 shots and a 58.6% TS.
Holiday would be a huge assistance as a backcourt partner for Stephen Curry and the ideal addition to Draymond Green and Andrew Wiggins thanks to his versatility on defense, which allows him to lock down speedy perimeter guards and move onto bigger frontcourt players. They would make a strong defensive trio if there were three of them.
Holiday has consistently shot threes at a league-average rate over the course of his career, shooting 38% from outside the arc last year. He might be viable in lines with one or two non-shooters if that is enough. He won’t have to take on the burden of on-ball creating duties, which aren’t his finest suit in a half-court situation, with players like Curry and Thompson on the squad.
However, it’s not certain that the Warriors will sign Holiday. If the early rumors are to be believed, Paul has vowed to blend in. Instead of letting him go right away without observing how the union develops, the Warriors might prefer to keep with him and bet on the offensive fit.
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